KUALA LUMPUR: Veteran Chinese-American actor James Hong, known for playing a variety of East Asian roles since the 1950s, has been inducted into the Asian Hall Of Fame.
The 91-year-old, who has more than 600 acting credits, was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award last Saturday.
Hong's memorable roles include the eye manufacturer Chew in Blade Runner, the sorcerer Lo Pan in Big Trouble In Little China, and the voice behind the goose Mr Ping, the foster father of the title character Po in animated action-comedy Kung Fu Panda.
He has also appeared in television shows like Seinfeld and Friends, as well as the original series and reboot of the crime drama Hawaii Five-0.
"You know I am 91 and it's about time because if you wait longer who knows what will happen, but I'm still very active," said Hong in a news report by Asian-American news site NextShark.
"What a beautiful prize! Thank you everybody."
Minnesota-born Hong has been largely unknown to many who have watched his films and television series despite a prolific acting career.
Hong's Hawaii Five-0 co-star Daniel Dae Kim started a campaign to get him a Hollywood Walk Of Fame recently.
Born to Chinese immigrant parents in 1929, Hong studied civil engineering at the University of Southern California and worked as a road engineer in Los Angeles for eight years.
He acted during his holidays but eventually quit engineering to become a full-time actor.
The Asian Hall Of Fame wrote in an Instagram post that the "legendary artiste overcame tremendous odds to increase Asian representation in film and entertainment."
Hong will soon star alongside Malaysian actress Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis in the science fiction film Everything Everywhere All At Once.
Established in 2004, the Asian Hall Of Fame is a national recognition event honouring the achievements of Asia-Pacific Americans in different industries.